“So, this is the den as we call it,” a peppy man named Alex said as she showed Sean around with a bounce in his step. Peter had dumped ‘Malketh’ on her as soon as he arrived, after a few minutes of introductions with the rest of the Immortals gathered by the door.

  Sean had been blindfolded the whole way as they drove for a while before having it taken off to reveal himself in the lobby of a building.

  Sean looked around the room they were in filled with darkly stained woods and an assorted series of long and fluffy couches. There were two large fireplaces on either side of the room burning brightly as several Immortals in casual clothes sat around and generally lounged even as they scrolled on their devices or had soft conversations with each other.

  “This is where all the sleepy heads come to lounge,” Alex said, “Great place to take a nap if you’re up to it. We’ve got lockers and stuff, but no rooms or anything. Sort of a waste when none of us have to sleep.”

  Sean nodded, although he didn’t fully agree. Just being able to have your own room, even if it wasn’t for sleeping necessarily, was important.

  “Well we have a few bedrooms,” Alex added in an upbeat tone, “But you’ve got to reserve them. And clean up after if it gets messy. Make sure to tell someone if things are gross, it’s their responsibility to clean, not you…”

  “Quit being such a freak, Alex!” One of the men shouted as he sat up from the couch, “You’re going to traumatize the poor guy for his tour.”

  “Hey, it’s important knowledge,” Alex protested, “No one told me what the rooms were used for, and I cleaned up the grossness the first few times, not even knowing that it wasn’t my responsibility to do it! I was just using it for sleeping!”

  “Get outta here!” another woman shouted from nearby the fire, “I’m tryna relax! All this chatter’s ruining the mood.”

  Alex huffed and turned around and the two of them left the room.

  “They’re just grumpy,” Alex explained as they continued, “Don’t mind them. I was talking a little too loudly maybe… But anyway, here’s the activity room. This is where people actually come to really do stuff rather than sit around. You ever play pool? Want to play a game?”

  “Pool? No I don’t think I have,” Sean asked as he curiously inspected a table with a fuzzy green surface and six pockets around its edges. Alex set up various colored balls in a triangle formation and put the white ball on top of a little white sticker on top of the green material.

  He took out a long stick with a rounded end and handed one to Sean.

  “Here, I’ll teach you Malketh,” Alex said, “Pause on the tour. This place isn’t nearly big enough to take a full day to explore. We’ve got some time.”

  “Okay. Let’s give it a try,” Sean said as he accepted the ‘pool cue’ and started learning the game with Alex.

  The tour continued informally with Sean and Alex occasionally stopping and getting distracted for a little while before continuing. Immortals milled about the space and came over and talked with Sean and had some more in depth conversations rather than the shallow introductions from before. It seemed that only about a third of the Immortals in the building had come to the front to greet him, with the rest staying in the ‘Den’ itself and continuing with whatever they had been doing before.

  While many were relaxing, Alex brought Sean to a few rooms where he saw a few of them working. Several were on calls or appearing to be involved in some kind of business discussions or negotiating.

  “What are they doing? Why do it here?” Sean asked curiously after they left the long row of soundproof cubicles with only the single window behind.

  “Many own their own network of mortal companies,” Alex said, sounding largely disinterested in the concept, “But you know how it… Well maybe you don’t know how it is. We’re not supposed to involve ourselves in mortal affairs. Illegal actually. They do it from here for safety so the Gaian Knights don’t swoop in and arrest them.”

  “That’s a crime? Gaian knights will arrest you?” Sean asked in disbelief. Alex glanced over at him and laughed lightly, “Oh, Malketh, I’d forgotten! You’re such a bad boy, aren’t you? Peter told me that you’re quite the entrepreneur yourself! Thanks, I bet we have a few of your new products in here by now. Really you’d be amazed how a few percent more efficient in energy adds up over the hundreds of years that we’ve had this place set up.”

  “Peter told you that?” Sean asked, “Are you important around here?”

  “Oh, yes. You know, only like third or fourth in command after Peter Rose. But still pretty high up for the fifty three of us. Well, fifty four now with you here. You’re an interesting guy, Malketh. I’m sure you’ll really make things interesting in these next few years.”

  “This place is nice, don’t get me wrong,” Sean said cautiously, “But is that all it is? A place for the Immortals to relax without getting bothered by the Gaian knights? Is there some overarching goal that we’re working towards?”

  “Ah, I forgot to give you the speech!” Alex said, “That’s my bad. Yes, you must be confused about that part. Yes, we have a goal. Nothing really concrete, but it’s just to make the world a better place if everyone decides that it would be best as a team. Give money to charities, start a business, topple an evil empire or two… Whatever we think is best and would help the most people. We do make mistakes sometimes, but we’ve learned and we’re getting better all the time. But if we have a communal goal we all pitch in sometimes to help get things done. But other than that we are mostly making our own efforts on doing some good out there.”

  “And the Gaian Knights don’t like that, I suppose?” Sean ventured.

  “Nope. It’s all non-interference that, and let the mortals make their own decisions this. Like we should just stand by and let things go to shit when we were chosen by the Shadow for something greater!”

  Sean shifted uncomfortably and Alex noticed.

  “Oh, don’t worry though. I’m called the Herald of the Shadow by the mortals. Eyes of the Shadow, my group’s called. Because they’re going out there looking for injustice to stop in the Shadow’s name to prove themselves righteous. Eyes of the Shadow, carrying out the Shadow’s will… I’m rather passionate about it all. Our religion grows with every year! People are always trying to slander me, but really what I’m saying just makes sense, right? Why would the Shadow choose to give powers like ours to just anyone? There has to be a reason, and that reason’s got to be that it’s our duty to do good in the world with our gift. That’s what makes the most sense, don’t you agree Malketh?”

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  Alex’s tone grew impassioned the longer spoke until he ended by staring at Sean expectantly for an answer and leaned forward in anticipation.

  Sean awkwardly chuckled, “Why does the Shadow need to want anything at all? Maybe it just feels bad for us as we die. And the powers only come to the people that it feels the worst for in that moment.”

  “Then why not everyone? Why would only a select few be granted our power?” Alex asked intently.

  “Er, I… It probably doesn’t see like we do. Maybe it only sees a few people. Like a single frame in the movie, and not able to watch the whole thing. It just saves everyone it sees, but can’t see every person who’s about to die.”

  Sean blinked at the analogy that suddenly sprung into his head. But it did feel fitting for how the Shadow would appear and disappear at certain moments. And it was one of the major branches of Shadow worship in the future, the concept he had just said.

  “Hm… That’s an interesting thought,” Alex said thoughtfully and leaned back, “Maybe I’ll talk about that for my next sermon. It certainly is an interesting way to think about that philosophy, to contrast with the ultimate randomness and chaos compared with what the Gaian Knights prescribe to the Shadow. I don’t think that that’s a take that I’ve heard before phrased in that kind of way honestly. Very interesting, very interesting…”

  Alex brightened up, “Ah, you only get more unique as we go, Malketh! It’s not often these days somebody can inspire me with something new in theology. It’s sort of a passion of mine, as you can probably tell. Anyway, I think that’s the end of our tour pretty much. Just let someone know when you want to leave and they’ll find someone to take you. It’s a whole process since our location’s secret. But no rush, just relax, get to know everybody and hang out. See you later. Pretty sure my next sermon is in a few hours, so I have to leave. Best of luck and nice getting to know you, Malketh! Bye bye!”

  Alex power walked off and left Sean behind watching him leave.

  It was so strange, meeting the upbeat ‘Herald’. The people here seemed to view Alex’s beliefs as sort of strange and unbelievable. But in the wider galaxy in the far future, Alex’s beliefs were the default. Worship of the Shadow as a deity was nearly universal, with even the Founders and other prominent Immortals elevated to deity status in most religions. There were some other religions that floated around, but Shadow religions dominated them in all sectors so much that they were nothing more than a curiosity than something a normal mortal would ever encounter in their lifetimes.

  So Alex’s views were actually somewhat normal to Sean. Even if his passion for the subject and being the head of a religion did make Sean more wary of the man.

  Sean wandered around for a bit and got to know a few of the people in the ‘Den’ while being as friendly as he could. It seems like everyone accepted that he would join them without fail, taking it as a basic fact that he was basically already a member from being inside this place already. And when he was ready, he told someone he wanted to leave. And after putting the hood back on to cover his head, he was escorted back to the GFC safehouse that he had left from originally.

  What a strange experience.

  — — —

  “Sierra’s given up the fight, settled down with his wife,” Sean argued as Violet lounged in his room as they casually kept playing their car racing game on the screen, “You don’t have to go back. You’ve done enough. Even the commander agrees, you brought morale up just from getting rescued. You’ve done enough for the cause.”

  Violet didn’t say anything and kept focusing on the game until she managed to squeak by Sean and beat him to the finish line. She sighed as the screen proclaimed her victory over him.

  “What else can I do? It’s all I’ve ever known since I was ten. I haven’t done anything but fight since then. Even if it was just helping around at base before I was old enough to go out there. Could I even get a job, be a normal person, after everything? How could I when the Jade Congress is still out there?”

  “You’ve plenty of money you’ve earned over the years that you never ended up spending. And with our new funding you’ve earned a sizable bonus or two. If you ever get in money troubles, just ask me. I’ve got more money than I know what to do with with all of my patents, even if most of it still goes to the GFC.”

  Violet glanced at him, “Thanks, Malketh. I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t have to work… But still. It just doesn’t feel right when there’s still more to be done. It’s something that I have to do for myself. It’s my whole purpose, what I’m meant to do. How can I just give it up?”

  “No one has a purpose to their life, Violet,” Sean said, “At least not just one. You can find something else you enjoy, make some new friends. Don’t you see that you’d be happier if you just moved on and did something you really enjoyed? The GFC is on it. The Jade Congress is getting pushed back by us all on its own over the last few months since you’ve been back. The GFC is interfering more and more to fight back against them from doing more things like what happened to your family.”

  “I just have to do it,” Violet said, “I can make a difference.”

  Sean stared at Violet intently. They’d been arguing with each other for over two weeks over this issue, going back and forth on it. Violet wanted to go out on more missions against the Jade Congress on her own, even with Sierra gone to settle down with his wife and firmly retired.

  “Would you like me to tell you something tragic?” Sean suddenly asked, “Something I’ve never told anyone before?”

  Violet looked at him in confusion at the sudden change in tone.

  “Tragic? What? What are you talking about?”

  “You were talking about making a difference,” Sean said, “I’ve never really been able to make a difference in anything I do. Avenging my parents, saving my girlfriend from prison…”

  Two prisons actually, Sean mused, when Lira was trapped by the Endless Flesh or in Immortus Station. Both times his contributions had been almost useless, and someone else had swooped in to do all the hard work of helping them.

  “Your girlfriend was in prison?!” Violet said, “The immortal one? How? Why?”

  Sean waved it off, “It’s complicated. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. My point is, that every time I tried to help the people I cared about, I’ve failed. Someone else came in and did all the work for me. None of it was… It’s hard to explain. I was never the one who managed to save or avenge them. Is that selfish?”

  “I… I… Maybe it is selfish,” Violet said softly, “Maybe I am. That I can’t let the GFC stop the Jade Congress on its own, that I have to be involved…”

  Sean startled, not meaning in that way, “That’s not what I meant, but I suppose that might be true if you say so. Look, my point is… You’re someone I care about. I mean I literally took several bullets for you. And for once… I don’t want it to be pointless. To have you get killed out there or be unhappy after I’ve helped you.”

  Violet’s expression shifted and she looked like she had an internal struggle as she looked at Sean.

  “Fine,” Violet said with a long breath, “Fine, Malketh. I’ll retire. For you. And I guess… For me too. Go out there and make normal friends or whatever who aren’t such damn prodigies at videogames for some reason.”

  She picked up the controller and pressed the button to continue to the next race.

  “Now let’s play the game,” she said, “I want to beat your ass again on the next track.”

  Sean picked up his controller and then had his ass throughoughly handed to him in the next game. He’d never played any racing games before, so he was remarkably terrible at it and Violet utterly thrashed him almost every time they played one.

  Meh. He’d just gloat a bit later to balance out his losses when Violet got in the mood to play some more fighting games later. She still enjoyed playing them despite their dynamic of her overwhelming him with various cheats and allies as he tried to fight them all off with pure skill.

  By the end of the night, they were both relaxed and all thoughts of their arguments in the distant past.